Friday, May 24, 2013

A record 640 volunteers were involved with the 6th annual Shelton Clean Sweep held in April, removing litter from parks, roadways, school grounds, and waterways. The tally of litter removed from the city included 340 large plastic bags, 65 cubic yards, 2575 lbs of scrap metal, three full pickup trucks, as well larger items such as tires, vinyl siding, and mattresses. Participants will be recognized by the Anti-Litter Committee and Mayor Lauretti at 7:00 pm on June 12 at City Hall, at which time certificates and patches will be distributed and the following awards will be given.

Clean Sweep award winners for 2013 are: Housatonic River Cleanup, Inc. - "Housatonic River Champions" - Special recognition for this mega-cleanup event in Shelton, Stratford, and Milford. This year, on the Shelton portion of the river alone, 168 people removed an estimated 65 cubic yards from the river and piled it up at the Sunnyside boat ramp. This annual event has been held each year even before our Clean Sweep Program began six years ago.

Housatonic River Cleanup, Inc. created a 65 cu.yd. pile of litter at the Sunnyside Boat Ramp

Boy Scout Troop 28- "Heavy Metal Champions" for removing 2500 lbs of debris, mostly scrap metal, from the Wiacek open space, where the debris had been lingering for years. This troop is a consistent over-achiever, having won our "Volunteer of the Year" award the previous three years.

Boy Scout Troop 28 at the Wiacek Open Space

Shelton Land Trust - "Best Find" - for pulling an old motorcycle out of the woods, along with three pickup trucks worth of junk from the Land Trust open space adjacent to Wake Robin Drive.

Land Trust members with an old motorcycle pulled from the woods

Cub Scout Pack 27 - "Volunteer of the Year" - Civic Group category for removing 41 bags of litter from East Village Park. The Pack is another consistent overachiever and last year recieved a "Mount Trashmore" award.

Boy Scout Pack 27 at East Village Park.

Tighe & Bond - "Volunteer of the Year" - Business category, for removing 25 large garbage bags of litter from parts of Isinglass Road and Huntington Street where they border Aquarion watershed lands.

Tighe & Bond employees along Isinglass & Huntington Street.

George Waters - "Volunteer of the Year" - Individual category for tirelessly cleaning up the banks of the Housatonic River by canoe and kayak year round and cleaning up around the Shelton Canal, removing about 30 large bags and other assorted debris from our waterways.

George Water's kayak on the Housatonic

A full list of Clean Sweep participants along with a photo album is on the DontTrashShelton.org website. Patches and certificates are available to participants by completing an online Patch/certificate request form. Participants who do not attend the recognition event on June 12 will receive their patches and certificates later that week.